Darkness Of The Unknown (Fallen Angel Book 2)
by AtticusParker17
Summary: Twelve years after Atticus left his mark on the world a boy named Edward Thomson is thrusted into a realm beyond his understanding. Suddenly animals are talking to him and events he can't recall start to play in his head. After awhile his own existence is up for debate. Is he his own person or is he just the shadow of someone greater?
1. Chapter 1: The Urban Legend

Darkness Chapter 1: The Urban Legend

The clouds in Heaven were dark grey today as the Angels went about their daily business. It used to be quite rare to have days like this but ever since about twelve to thirteen years ago it was like that all the time. The clouds burst and it started to rain hard. The Angels didn't mind though, because they were used to this by now. Used to the cold harsh winds that were so normal after a few years.

One Angel in particular stood at the window, watching the rain fall. He wore a hood to shroud his face from any onlooker.

"Echo?" An Angel walked up to the hooded one. "What are you doing?"

The hooded Angel named Echo thought for a moment. "I guess...I'm just thinking of the past is all. Why do you ask Asher?"

Asher was caught off guard with the counter question. He'd actually been looking for Echo to ask him something but had no idea how to phrase it. He'd asked other people this same "something" but no one have him a straight answer.

"Do you know why the dark clouds and the rain never ends?" He finally asked. "Ever since I got here five years ago it's been very gloomy. If this is Heaven then how come the skies aren't clear?"

Echo turned to look at Asher for a moment then turned away. "Did you ever hear of the 'Black Wings Incident Of 1912'?"

"Isn't that just an urban legend?" Asher scratched the back of his head. "A tale just to creep out new Angels that arrive here?"

Echo chuckled at these words. It was funny how Angels did there best to cover up fear and sadness. Just because it was Heaven didn't mean that those things were off the table. Quite the contrary there usually was more of it depending on which path you chose upon getting here. Asher himself was a man of twenty who was killed in a bar due to a drunken sheriff. He joined the Guardian Angels and was still in the academy. Soon he'd see how rough it really is.

"An urban legend you say?" Echo spoke again. "Believe me it's no legend. A lot of Angels fell that day by the blade an evil man."

"An...evil man?" Asher stuttered. "Not a Demon?"

"It was an Angel." Echo explained making Asher gasp. An Angel who cut down...his own brethren? It...was unthinkable. "A very angry and bitter Angel."

"Why did he do it?" Asher asked eagerly. "And how did it cause this constant rainfall?"

"Well as long as you're willing to listen to an older angel's tale." Echo responded making Asher nod. "It was about 22 years ago to the day when a teenage boy was killed protecting an innocent girl. The boy was awakened as a different Angel. A black winged Angel. This was a rare occurrence that was considered a taboo amongst us all. So naturally we all shunned him and told him he was worthless. This was a mistake."

"That's not fair!" Asher interrupted. "He couldn't help being different. Especially since he was here early for saving a little girl."

"As the years went by." Echo continued. "He grew to hate everyone. The Angels of our world were disgusting to him. So when the time came to graduate the academy he graduated early with another Angel who was the only one who ever spoke to him. They went to Sunnyvale, New England to slay Demons and did so for a few months."

"Wasn't Sunnyvale supposedly the place of the incident?" Asher mumbled to himself.

"Yes it was." Echo answered nodding his head. "For a time it looked like the two Angels were unstoppable. Until one day as if from nowhere the Black Winged Angel flew up to Heaven and stole our staff of dreams."

"Staff of dreams?" Asher tilted his head. "The rumored staff that made any dream of yours a reality?"

"The very same." Echo explained. "It was a very powerful symbol of hope here. The black winged Angel took it and tried to use it for evil but was stopped by our Lord. However there was a loss. In his anger the now Fallen Angel struck down the one he called friend. He was banished to the nether realm for his crimes and the staff was lost. Presumably he still had it."

Asher stood there in shock. These kind of things were...unthinkable. No single Angel had the power to do all this but...it happened. Echo gave him a moment to let it sink in before continuing.

"The Fallen Angel didn't stay in the nether for too long." Echo sighed. "He escaped and laid waste to Sunnyvale. That was when our late second in command Shimada had to step in along with a team of one thousand first class Guardian Angels. None of them had the power to take him down. Angel after Angel fell and only about ten or twenty of them made it out alive. Shimada thought he could win in a last ditch effort but...he was defeated."

Asher was horrified. This was the stuff of nightmares. One single Fallen Angel destroyed almost a thousand Angels. That was unreal. There was no way that could be true. One question still remained though.

"How did this make the rain start?" Asher inquired. "It's a chilling tale and all but how does it all connect?"

Echo placed a hand on his shoulder. "No one really knows. Shortly after The Fallen Angel killed Shimada which was dubbed as 'The Black Wings Incident' he vanished. Some say that he had a moment of remorse and restored the town of Sunnyvale before vanishing. All that's known is that after the incident Heaven's once clear skies turned grey and cold and the warm sun vanished."

Asher sighed deeply. Now he had more questions than answers. One thing was for certain though. He got to hear one hell of a story. After shaking Echo's hand and thanking him for his time he ran off. Echo once again stood alone looking at the constant rainfall.

"I wonder..." He asked no one in particular. "What are you doing now Atticus Parker?"

"Edward!" A voice called out to a teenaged boy who was enjoying his sleep. "It's time for your mail run get dressed!"

The boy groaned and rolled over. There was no way it was morning already. Edward wasn't ever happy to get up. He had so many amazing dreams at night that it sucked to wake up to frozen Nome. He'd dreamed of a field of flowers and colorful fireworks by moonlight. But most of all he'd dreamed of a grey schnauzer mix hugging him.

"EDWARD!" A man slammed open the door. "YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE!"

Edward shot up and fell out of his bed. He landed on his rear end hard. "Sorry Uncle Tony I was having a really good dream." He looked up at the man. Tony Thomson, or Uncle Tony, was a very tall man of almost seven feet and a great muscle belly to match. His short brown hair did nothing to hide his light green eyes which softened when he looked down at his nephew.

"Here." Tony reached out a hand. Edward took it and was pulled up to his feet. "Now you have about twenty minutes to get to the post office. Try not to be late ok?"

"Yes Uncle Tony." Edward nodded. Tony smiled and left the room.

As Edward stood in his room he stared at the painted wall. It was covered with drawings and pictures of wolves of various species. Besides that was a bookshelf containing information about Alaskan wildlife. He'd read all of them but still wanted to know more. Wait what was he doing standing around? He was running late!

The teen ran to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. A teen with Raven Blue hair and Emerald Green eyes looked back. He used his pale skinned hands to ruffle his hair out of its bed-head. A toothbrush was on his sink which he gladly picked up and used to get rid of his horrible morning breathe. When Edward was done he ran into his room grabbed a pair of black moose hide pants and a Rabbit fur brown long sleeved shirt.

They looked pretty normal considering what they were made of. He put them on then tucked in the shirt. A thin but warm black hooded coat was on the floor which he picked up and pulled on.

Edward ran to the door with his socks on and crammed his black snow boots on with his pants tucked in. When he stood up Tony pulled him in a tight hug.

"Have a great day at work today nephew." He told Edward then released him. "Try to stay out of trouble ok?"

Edward grabbed his mail bag, "Me get into trouble?" He chuckled. "It's Nome, Alaska Uncle Tony. What's the worst that could happen?"

**A/N: The sequel has begun! Holy crap I'm so excited to get started on this. I'd been planning this for a little while even when I was still writing the first book. I hope it didn't disappoint because I enjoyed writing this chapter so much. I wanted to put a perspective on how the opposition felt about Atticus and what they think is going on. Plus I wanted to showcase Edward already. Anyway I hope you enjoyed! Atticus out!**


	2. Chapter 2: Mail Time

Darkness Chapter 2: Mail Time

The cold wind hit Edward as soon as he stepped out of the house. Man it was way too cold for his liking every time. He placed the hood over his head to stay at least a little warm, but it hardly help since he was walking in the direction of the blowing wind. Eventually it blew off. Winter in the crack of Dawn sucked. Edward sighed, seeing the fog of his breathe, and looked up.

Nome, Alaska. It was a small town almost on top of the world. Not much went on here save for the fish exports. The nearby ocean provided for that pretty well. The only way people got anywhere fast around here was by a team of dogs pulling sleds. The fastest dogs were allowed the honor of transporting certain goods across long distances. Usually this meant quite a few races were held to find the fastest team.

It was commonly told that the competition was very fierce indeed. Even the dogs seemed to be far more aggressive about it than humans. The most famous sled dog in town, Steele, was currently the fastest lead dog in town. It was because of this that his team traditionally won every year. So much so that Nome was also known for having the best sled dogs in Alaska.

The town was a beautiful one. The houses were lined up in a way so it looked like one connected giant maze. There were so many alleys and passages that it was very fun to explore. Every maze has a center however, it just so happened to be the main road where all the businesses were.

These businesses consisted of food marts, clothing, sleds and even sled dogs. There was one underlying problem of this whole place though. As lively and full of life as it was in this town, the issue still stood tall. At a glance a small town like this is the stuff of what many people would want to call home. Not to Edward. In his mind and probably tons of others like him, this town was in "the middle of nowhere". Not that it was a bad thing if you were older and you'd seen what the world had to offer.

For the younger folk however, it was unbearable. It was mostly like an open prison of ice and snow. You could leave anytime you wanted but the dangers of Alaska still stood. The fear came mostly from the Wolves Native to here. In the eyes of a wolf we were a threat, which was probably true. Year after year we went into their territory and hunted their game. There were a lot of wolf attacks as a result. These attacks sparked fear into the hearts of this town.

When fear comes, anger is sure to follow. Wolves were hunted down and most children were forbidden from seeing what was beyond the town. Only a few lucky people were allowed out. Those who did were part of the mail team or the sled team.

As Edward ran to the post office he only had fifteen minutes before he was late. He had to get there fast or Mr. Guzy would be livid. Sure he was a kind post master but he took his mail seriously.

"Man if I'm late again Guzy will kill me!" Edward said to himself as he ran by the fellow locals. "Last time I was late I was on mail sorting duty for a month!"

He turned the corner into an alleyway as a shortcut. It'd cut the time he'd need to get there in half. He just had to-

"Whoa!" Edward tripped as something jumped in front of him at full speed. He rolled twice before bonking his head on an empty trashcan. "Oh man that's gonna bruise!"

He gripped his head in pain feeling the world around him spin. He didn't notice that what he tripped over was nervously walking towards him. When Edward opened his eyes his vision was still a little doubled and blurred. A figure moved very slowly in his direction. When he blinked a few times he saw it was a dog. No...not a dog...a wolf...but it had the demeanor of a dog.

It was very odd. As his vision cleared Edward saw a pair of yellow eyes with brown irises. Definitely a wolf but...no he looked like someone he knew. As the "wolf" got closer Edward saw more familiar things. Its fur was a darker gray and it was very scruffy.

'He kind of looks like...' He thought good and hard. 'That schnauzer mix from my dream. But this is a wolf...I think.'

The "wolf" thingy was face to face now. As if on instinct Edward placed his hand on the creature's head and started petting. "You're an odd one. What's your name buddy?" The "wolf" wagged its tail happily.

"Well not that you can understand me." The "wolf" replied. "But my name is Balto. I'm half wolf and half husky. A wolf-dog."

Edward froze. Did this animal just talk? 'I must have bumped my head harder than I thought.' His mind echoed on his head. 'This dog couldn't have just...talked...'

"Did you just say your name is Balto?" The Raven Blue haired teen asked eagerly. "And that you're some kind of wolf-dog hybrid?"

Before anything more could be said a woman let out an audible scream. Edward snapped his head to the right to see a thin woman screaming and pointing at Balto. That did it. The wolf-dog bolted as towns people swarmed the alleyway.

"Oh god are you ok kid?!" A random bystander asked, getting into Edward's personal space. "Did it bite you at all?"

Edward shook his head while everyone inspected every inch of the alley. It was very weird for him to see all this. He'd never seen the townspeople in swarm like this since the war ended nearly six years ago. He and Tony hadn't lived in Nome yet but it was the same effect. People were crying, some were angry, and some were joyous. All over seeing a wolf-dog. It was completely ridiculous.

"Hey Edward!" A familiar voice called out as he left the alleyway. A boy with bright blue eyes and blondish-silver hair ran towards him. He wore some brown pants and just a plain shirt with short sleeves. In this weather? Yeah Edward thought it was crazy too, but that was Thomas Riley for you. "What'd you do this time to get the crowd in a frenzy?"

Thomas had been Edward's best friend for a good five years now. He was the first friend that Edward had actually made when he first moved to Nome. Thomas was an apprentice to the local carpenter that worked here making the best sleds in all of Alaska.

"No Thomas I actually didn't do anything this time." Edward explained thinking of all the times he'd started a snowball war or accidentally poisoned some meat. People were in the bathroom for weeks. "I ran into this wolf-dog named Balto and everyone freaked out."

"Wait you saw the wolf-dog?!" Thomas yelled in surprise making Edward flinch and nod. "Awww man you're so lucky! First you get the mail job with no training and-"

"Oh no I'm late!" Edward checked his pocket watch and dashed off. He was already five minutes late thanks to that little delay. "Thomas I'll meet you at my place we'll talk later!" Mr. Guzy was going to kill him. He busted into the mail room panting like an overworked husky.

"EDWARD!" Oh crap... A big burley man with a beard and pitch black hair stormed towards him. "YOU ARE SO UNBELIEVABLY LATE! I WOULD SO PUT YOU ON MAIL SORTING DUTY RIGHT NOW!"

"Mr. Guzy I'm so sorry I'm late- wait what do you mean 'would'?" Edward was confused. "Am I not getting put on sorting duty?"

Guzy's angry eyes softened to a look of worry. "I already got word of what happened. News travels fast. Did that half wolf bite you?"

Edward shook his head making the post master sigh with relief. "Thank goodness because I have a big job for you today my boy!" He boomed happily. Oh boy here we go. "I need you to deliver these bandages to White Mountain on the double. It's a three day hike to get there but I'm sure you can handle it!"

Edward smiled big at this. It was about time he got to take another trip outside. He'd be gone almost a whole week! That'd be a very fun journey indeed. He just had to see Tony before he set out. "Of course Mr. Guzy I won't let you down." Edward smiled joyfully. "I'll see you in six days!"

Guzy gave him the supplies which he placed happily in his mail bag. After another goodbye Edward set off towards home to pack. He took a shortcut down another alleyway to get home faster. Hopefully he wouldn't trip over anymore wolf-dogs.

"Hmph." A gritty voice said in the shadows to the right. "Looks like the shadow has learned to live his own life. But how long will that life last however?"

"Who said that?" Edward nearly jumped out of his skin. He looked around for the source of the noise. "Whoever you are you're being creepy!"

"I'm just an...observer of sorts." The voice said. "I've been your life play out and I have to say it's been very boring. I figured I'd make it more interesting. So why don't I let you in on a secret? Your life as it is now...is nothing short of a miracle. A shadow such as yourself has no business being alive. Especially not when you're 'his' shadow."

What was this voice talking about? Edward didn't know but it was freaking him out. He was about to say something when-

"Edward!" A girly voice shouted to him. He turned his head to see a little girl of about six years running towards him. She wore a tan coat which went well with her boots and overalls. "Wanna play?"

"Not now Rosie I'm a bit busy." Edward said distractedly. He couldn't here or feel the voice's presence anymore. "I'm going to White mountain."

"Then that's an even bigger reason we should play!" Rosie giggled with pleading eyes. "You'll be gone for a little while! Can you please play ball with me and Jenna?"

Edward chuckled at the little redheaded girl in front of him. There was no saying no to that face. He nodded his head before grabbing her small hand and letting her lead him out of the alley. When the two were gone a man in a hood walked out of the shadows.

"Soon the shadow will have to give back what he's stolen." The man said.

**A/N: Ok the story is set. Edward must prepare for a six day journey to White Mountain and back. Seems easy enough. But is anything ever that easy? Thank you for reading this! If you liked it review it and if you hated it review it. Check out the Collabs I've done with KodiWolf321! Atticus out!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Fishing Trawler

Darkness Chapter 3: The Fishing Trawler

"C'mon Edward!" Rosie complained. "Throw the ball already!"

Edward was lost in thought. He was so excited for his chance to go out of Nome for a few days that he was already thinking of what he was going to do. He smiled and threw the ball to an eager Jenna and Rosie. It went over the little girl's head but Jenna was right behind her to knock it back. Edward wasn't expecting this however and got a ball to the head.

He fell over in surprise but laughed anyhow in spite of himself. Rosie couldn't contain herself; she was rolling in the snow laughing. "Alright Rosie what next?" Edward asked her. "I don't have to leave immediately like you said so what do you wanna do?"

She thought for a moment. She couldn't outrun him so definitely not tag. That didn't mean she couldn't hide! "Can we play hide and seek?" She asked eagerly. "I'll hide and you seek me ok? Count to a hundred though!"

Edward nodded then closed his eyes. As he counted he thought of how much that little girl was to him. Rosie was his first real friend since...the accident. From what his uncle told him, Edward had been in a horrible sleigh wreck with his parents. They died on impact but he survived with a severe head injury. His uncle didn't think he'd make it but when he did he had no memories of his parents or anything before that.

Hell it took several months to get him to talk. When he finally did his first words were "Who am I?" That's when his uncle told him. For several years Edward lived in his uncle's house and didn't leave except on very rare occasions. When he finally did get out he had a very hard time making friends over the years. That was until a out two years ago when he bumped into Rosie after her dog Jenna, who was a one year old pup back then, tried to steal his lunch.

He caught her of course but after that Rosie made it her "job" to be Edward's friend. He knew the real reason was because she could call him her boyfriend to kids her age. After awhile though they hung out everyday. It was like having a wonderful little sister.

Even her parents approved of this. Which was why he was here today counting from one to a hundred. "Ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine, A Hundred! Ready or not!"

This was fairly simple. All he had to do was follow the little footprints she left. They were easy to track because she took all the back alleys with the most snow. Her little footprints were big enough to see with the naked eye. He followed the path for a little bit. Expecting to get to a stop at some point Edward went at a leisurely pace. Then the unexpected happened. The path kept going and going...the way it was heading...she'd be out of town.

Edward looked up to see frozen snow. He'd run out of building and left Nome through one it's many back routes. "Rosie?!" He called out looking around. "Where are you?!" The tracks went a little ways before vanishing. There were no buildings didn't shield the wind from blowing them away. Edward was worried now. There wasn't any sign of Rosie and a red haired girl is easy to spot in the white snow.

What was he going to do? She was gone without a trace. "Rosie answer me! You out there?!" Edward was frantic. "Rosie-"

"Edward help!" An unfamiliar voice called out to him. He turned to see a red husky run up to him. "Rosie is in danger!"

"Jenna?" Edward was feeling weirded out. First that wolf-dog Balto and now her? What was going on here? "Since when do you talk?"

She didn't answer however. She turned and ran. "Hey wait!" Edward called to her and followed closely behind. Where could she be leading him? This was way too crazy for him. At first he thought he'd imagined it but now he knew for sure. Animals had started talking to him. But how and why he didn't know. A fishing trawler could be seen from a distance. It was run down with a gaping hole in the side.

The way it was sitting it must have wrecked years and years ago because a good portion of it was buried in the snow. As he got closer he could see a kind of ramp that led to the deck. All in all it was a total dump. Why Rosie had decided to hide here was beyond him. Now she was in danger, but from what? When they got to it nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It was a lot bigger up close.

"She ran up there but I smelled wolf." Jenna teared up then looked at her feet. "I got scared and didn't go with her. Then I smelled your sent and went to find you. Can you go up there with me and get her?"

Edward regarded her for a second. As weird as it was that he could understand Jenna it felt natural. He nodded and petted her gently. He didn't know what was going on or why but he could think on it after Rosie wasn't in danger.

After taking a deep breathe Edward went left foot first onto the ramp. Jenna followed close behind as he walked slowly and cautiously up it. He didn't know how stable it was, so it was best not to take the chance. Step by step they got closer to the deck. The two silently prayed that Rosie was alright. When they reached the top it had a beautiful ocean view.

Edward looked around for any sign of his red headed friend. Jenna sniffed around looking for her scent. When she caught it she pointed the way to go. Edward nodding then walked towards the ship's control center of sorts where the steering wheel was. There was a small scuffling sound and giggling that could be heard. Giggling? There was a curtain blocking what was inside from view. Edward took another deep breathe and pulled it away.

"Hi Edward!" Rosie beamed up at him. He sighed with relief when he saw she was petting that wolf-dog Balto from earlier. That explained the wolf scent. He wasn't worried at all now. Balto seemed harmless enough to him since he had a big grin on his face. Did dogs grin? "I guess you found me!"

Jenna jumped in front of Rosie protectively. "I swear if you hurt my girl I'll tear your apart!" Balto got a hurt look in his eyes and dropped his ears.

"Jenna he wouldn't hurt a fly." Edward chuckled and pet the wolf-dog. "If he was going to hurt Rosie he would've done it by now. Balto right? It's nice to see you again."

The wolf-dog's eyes widened. Balto had never heard anyone say that to him. It felt nice to not be treated like a monster.

"Thank you-" Balto began.

WACK!

Edward felt a sharp pain in his head before blacking out. He felt himself fall forward but not hit the deck. There was just a constant feeling of falling at a constant pace. As he did he could swear he heard a voice. One that sounded very familiar of only he could just...suddenly he started to slow to a stop and landed softly on his feet.

He was still in the lot of darkness unable to see a foot in front of him. All he could hear was his own breathe.

"How..." Edward said out loud. "How did I get here? One moment I was...that's funny I don't remember."

He took a step forward making the darkness around him flash in a blaze of light. The light was so blinding he covered his face. After his eyes adjusted he saw that he was In an alley way. It wasn't like your traditional one though. Not in terms of Alaska anyway. It was significantly warmer and the ground wasn't dirt or snow. It was cobbled with stones that were smooth with a polished finish.

The walls around him were made up of red bricks as opposed to the wood styled homes of Nome. Lastly was how he looked. Edward looked down to see black pants, a button down shirt, and a vest. It was odd yet familiar. Then he heard something that sent chills down his spine that was nothing like the ice of Nome.

It was...whimpering...

He looked down the alleyway to see a boy crying. The sight of it made Edward's heart skip a beat. Who was that and why...were they so familiar...?

"Edward..." He froze when he heard a voice behind him. He turned to see a Schnauzer mix staring at him. She had a nice face but he still was apprehensive about the talking bit. "You shouldn't be here."

"What do you mean?" Edward was confused. "What is here?"

"That boy knows." The Canine responded gesturing to the crying child. "For he is Atticus Parker and you Edward Thomson have no right to exist."

**A/N: Ok I know updates are slow bit I've been trying my hardest with School and graduation. I promise this summer will be full of updates. Until then please bear with me. As always if you like it review it and if you want it to burn in hell review it. If you loved it then Fav/Follow. Atticus out!**


	4. Chapter 4: What The Heart Told Him

Darkness Chapter 4: What The Heart Told Him

Edward eyed the dog with disbelief. What did she mean he had no right to exist? It kind of hurt his feelings to hear her say that. Who was 'she' though? He only just today started talking to animals so how in the blazes did she know him?

"I don't understand-" he began with his mind full of questions.

"Nor need you." The dog named Laura cut him off. The memory around them melted away into darkness but the two kept staring at each other. "All you need to know is that your existence is at end. Soon everything that is you, won't be."

Edward felt like he'd been slapped in the face. Essentially he had, but he didn't have time to think on that however since Laura started to walk towards him. Out of fear of the unknown he backed away as she took step after step.

"I can't let you keep going down this path." She growled suddenly, making Edward flinch slightly. "The real owner of this vessel won't be able to return as long as you're here. I'm going to destroy you. I'm truly sorry but the world doesn't need you. It needs 'him'."

Laura lunged at the petrified teen who braced himself for impact. When it didn't happen he opened his eyes. His hand was raised in front of him with an odd looking sword in his hand. It had a white hilt with a black blade. Laura stared at it in total shock and disbelief.

"The...black Kusanagi..." She couldn't believe her eyes. "How did you learn how to use 'his' second weapon? That weapon only belongs to Atticus!"

"Look I don't know who you are or where I am." Edward weighed the sword in his hand. He held it like you would any sword, the blade facing forwards. The fear he felt went away in place of anger. If it hadn't been for this sword thing he'd be dead. "But I want out of here right now!"

"I'm afraid I can't let that happen..." Laura shook her head sadly. "It's a shame too...you're just like him. But in reality, you're just fill in for someone greater."

Edward tried not to let this get to him but something about what she was saying seemed to make sense. Whoever this 'Atticus' person was, he must be very important. What didn't add up was how he was somehow stopping that person from excising...but how?

"What are talking about?!" Edward huffed in frustration. "This doesn't make any sense at all! How am I keeping your friend from coming back?! What does he have to do with anything? I don't even know him!"

"He is all that you are or ever will be." Laura responded and charged Edward again. He instinctively ducked under her. He turned and awkwardly swung his sword at her. Missing by inches, Edward over swung, giving Laura an opening. She bit down on his right side causing him to grunt. The schnauzer mix smiled slightly in victory only to feel a blade pierce through her upper back and all the way through her chest.

Laura released her grip instantly. When she looked up she saw a glint in Edward's eyes. It was a determined stare that never wavered. He was clearly ready to finish the job of he had to.

"I guess I should've expected nothing less..." Laura sighed out as she started to fade. "From someone of the same vessel...you make a good 'other'...but he will be back nonetheless. You've delayed it for the time being but...he will be back..."

Laura smiled before turning into a small ball of light. Edward watched it with a look of longing. It felt so familiar to him. Without warning it went into his chest with a flash of blinding light. "I await his return..." Her voice echoed in his ear.

"Edward you alright?!" A voice trumpeted at a high pitch into the teens ear. "WAKE UP!"

The Raven Blue haired teen shot awake in a panic. When he looked around he was on the fishing trawler again. Balto, Jenna, and Rosie were giving him worried looks. It was clear Rosie had woken him up considering she was the only one with a high pitched voice like that.

"Ow my head..." Edward felt a small bump on the back of his head with his hand. "What happened to me? One moment I was talking to you guys and then I felt like a rock hit me in the head."

"That would be me that did that..." A Russian sounding voice said behind him. Edward turned his head to see a goose with a sheepish look. But what really stood out was the rock in his wing. Well that could've been bad. "I thought you were big Scary hunter trying to off my step-son...my apologies..."

Step son? Ok this day was just getting weirder and weirder. First talking animals, A vision of some kind with an odd dog, and now goose Adoptive fathers...yeah today was not going in a normal direction any time soon.

"Edward..." Rosie asked curiously and gestured to Jenna, Balto, and the goose. "How do understand them?"

Edward stopped for a moment. So Rosie couldn't understand them. That meant it really was only him hearing the animals talk. Did that make him crazy? Most likely yes but he didn't have time to dwell on it. Especially after he had bigger things to worry about. He didn't have a right to exist? He was keeping another from existing? Even if it was just a dream...no that wasn't a dream...it didn't feel like one. It was almost like he'd been inside himself.

"Edward you still with us?" Balto jokingly broke his thoughts. "You were hit on the head pretty hard. Do you need a rest?"

Edward shook his head. "No I'm just wondering the same thing is all. I don't know how or why I understand you guys. It's all just very strange." To say he was confused was an understatement. He was very perplexed. Rosie had an expression on her face that told him she was just as confused, Which reminded him of why he was here in the first place. "Anyway can you please explain what's going on here? Rosie what happened to you? Why did you get on this boat?"

Rosie gave Edward her familiar guilty smile. He knew it all too well and chuckled to himself. She was always so curious about pretty much anything. Even though it was on top of the world, Nome was still a little boring. People like Rosie were always wanting to go on adventures but she was much too small to be going out into the forest. Grown men didn't even go in there, so it was no surprise that she took every opportunity she had to get outside of town.

"Well...when I went to play hide and seek I thought I could try hiding in the old trawler." Rosie said with a grin. "Jenna didn't want to go with me but I wanted to see it. I thought she was right behind me I promise Edward!"

"I trust you Rosie." He smiled. Jenna looked downright saddened that she'd left Rosie like that. She nuzzles her girl muttering things only Rosie would hear. The little girl patted her dogs head tenderly. "What happened next?"

"I think I can explain that part." Balto chimed in, knowing that the two females were having a private moment. "I caught her scent while I was sleeping. By the time I opened my eyes she was in my room and in my face."

Edward laughed to himself. That was Rosie all right; she was always looking around and being curious. Of course it didn't take her very long to find the wolf-dog. Well at least everything made sense now...in terms of Rosie's situation. His issues on the other hand were going to be a different beast altogether. There was no time for that though. He needed to get Rosie home safe and sound.

"Wait what time is it?" Edward looked to the sky to see the setting sun. "Shit the townspeople will be wondering where we've gone. They'll be forming a search party if they haven't already."

Rosie and Jenna looked worried. Just as well too since it was highly against the rules to leave town. Edward grabbed Rosie's hand gently and whistled for Jenna to come. "Ok we gotta go now." He turned then bowed his head to The goose and Balto. "Thanks for your hospitality but we're needed in Nome."

Balto gave Edward a slightly disappointed look but nodded. The teen felt bad but there was no way he could take him with him. Especially after the townspeople made it clear they didn't want his kind...but...

He knelt down to the wolf-dog's level and patted his head. "Hey why don't I stop by tomorrow before I head out to White Mountain?" He asked politely. "I'll bring you a nice juicy steak and we can hang out. That sound ok?"

Balto wagged his tail happily then nodded. Edward smiled and stood up. He was going to leave when he felt something tug at his coat. When he looked down he saw The goose was holding him back.

"Yes?" Edward asked.

"Erm sorry again for whacking you." The goose apologized in a solemn tone. "My name is Boris. Nice meeting you."

"It's great meeting you too Boris." Edward smiled warmly. "My name is Edward Thomson. We really need to be getting on though. Take care."

He led Rosie off the trawler towards the small town in the distance. If possible he could probably sneak in. He just had to approach it in a back road. No they'd be watching most of them except...

"Hey Rosie we're going to enter from the North side from the back of the town." Edward told the red headed girl suddenly. "We'll have to go around town to get to it, but no one will see us. Is that ok?"

She looked and smiled happily. That was a no brainer. She wanted to be outside as long as possible. It was about a twenty minute walk around so while Rosie went on about the wonderful time she had, Edward was thinking of an excuse to tell his uncle for being so late. Not that his uncle would make much of a fuss about it anyway. As long as Edward managed not to burn down Nome he was fine to do what he wanted.

When they made it around the town he heard a twig snap. Instantly his head snapped towards the dark forest where he could swear a pair of yellow eyes gazed at him. It was gone in a flash though. He decided it was best not to linger and entered Nome as best he could without being spotted. It was almost nightfall but the last rays of light shined brightly into the sky painting it pink.

"Ok Rosie keep quiet and stay behind me." Edward instructed to the little girl. Jenna stayed close to her to make sure she wouldn't stray. "Ok good now let's hope we aren't seen."

They snuck into one of Nome's back alleys quietly. It was a long stretch of alley but it was smooth sailing if they got through without interference. So far so good the plan was going. But that's the funny thin about plans. More often than not all hell breaks loose.

"Ack!" Edward clutched his head. The alley before him flashed to the one with the boy crying. The kid sobbed to himself quietly. "Dammit I gotta focus..."

His mind snapped back to the alley he was halfway through with Rosie in tow. She had a curious look on her face but said nothing. He appreciated that but didn't have time to dwell on it as he heard movement from the right. Edward bit his lip in slight fear. He hoped to god it wasn't a human.

Instead a Black and White malamute turned the corner. The teen relaxed instantly. Thank goodness it was just Steele...and his musher...

"Well shit..." Edward sighed. "The asshole at the hour himself."

**A/N: Ok I hope no one hates me for taking so long. I graduate at the end of this month so maybe I'll be able to write more. Anyways if you liked it review it and if you despised it review it. Make sure to comment and follow for more updates. Cheers. I mean Atticus Out.**


	5. Chapter 5: Departure

Darkness Chapter 5: Departure

"Watch your tone Thomson!" Steele's musher snapped at Edward. Steele growled with him.

The musher had a grumpy face with squinty eyes that scrutinized your every move. His brown hair was tucked into his musher hat which he wore like a crown. Considering the condition of his blue fur coat he was almost always outside. There was an air of smug pride about him. Not to mention his thick beard.

"Gunnar I really don't have time for this." Edward sighed and kept Rosie close to him. He didn't need her getting in the way. Steele wasn't the kind of dog who was beyond biting children. In fact he nipped anyone that got too close unless it was a female husky. That was bad also though, since he started to eyeball Jenna. "I need to-"

"That's Mr. Kaasen to you cretin!" Gunnar Kaasen shouted even louder.

Edward sighed inwardly. There was no way he was going to get out of situation this easily. Gunnar was one of the many mushers of Nome. He was highly revered around town because he had the fastest team in town. Steele, his prize dog, won most of the races held throughout the year. As a result the two became complacent in their constant success. For as long as Edward could remember they'd been strutting the town like they owned the place.

In a manner of speaking they pretty much did. The townspeople worshipped the grown they walked on. Well most of them anyway. The few exceptions were Edward, his uncle Tony, and Thomas. There were others but they didn't openly say that. It was a quick way to get on Gunnar's bad side. Edward was his least favorite because most of the time the dark haired teen shrugged him off in passing.

So here they were now with Gunnar ready to bust them for going out if bounds. Not to mention they were out late past the curfew for children Rosie's age, and possibly Edward's too. "You are in so much trouble boy." Gunnar mocked the teen. "You'll be under watch for weeks. Maybe even get community service hehe. You can pick up dog shi-"

"Please stop talking down to my nephew, you blithering idiot." A gentle but slightly annoyed voice grunted from the left of the alley. "I'm sure he had a perfectly good reason for being out so late."

Tony walked out of the shadows and towards his nephew's side. Edward half smiled slightly. Good, a way out of this situation but into a new one. He was so dead when he got home.

"He's supposed to be making a delivery in a few hours, so I'm sure he was scouting the area for the best route to take. I'll bet he asked Rosie along since he'd need Jenna in case of an emergency." Tony asserted but with a call tone. "It is not your business whether or not he gets back in town on time Gunnar. I'll take Rosie home straight away while you tend to your sled team. There is a big race tomorrow yes?"

The prideful musher looked downright affronted but nodded anyway. He signaled Steele to come along. The malamute gave Jenna one last look before stalking after his retreating master. Edward was glad that ended peacefully but flinched slightly when he saw his Uncle's disappointed stare. He cringed at it with a sigh, knowing he was going to get a lecture.

"We'll talk when we get home." Tony sighed audibly. "For now let's get Rosie home and get the search party called off. Everyone I'm town is worried sick."

Edward nodded as his uncle led the way to Rosie's house. Instead of taking the back alley Tony went to the main road so people searching would know the little girl was found. As they walked people who were searching vigilantly took notice just as planned. One after the other word spread around and people returned to their homes. There would probably be an inquiry about this tomorrow but for now it was still late at night. Rosie's home was right near the telegraph station where all messages besides written letters were sent out.

It was very much like all the other homes besides the family seal that was adorned above the front door. It was an odd seal to be sure. The best way to describe it is an upside down paw print with three claw marks across it. When Edward climbed the small steps to the porch his uncle was already knocking on the door with Rosie close behind. Her mother, Susan Black, answered the door eagerly in the hopes of news. When her eyes fell upon her child she instantly pushed Tony out of the way and hugged her child.

"Oh Rosie where have you been?" Susan picked up her child and asked her daughter. "I was so worried when you didn't come home."

"Well I was-" The little girl began.

"She was helping Edward here sweep the area around Nome to check which route to take when he delivered his package." Tony said with humble smile. Edward knew it was fake but didn't give that fact away. "They stayed out a bit longer than planned but at least they're back."

Rosie's mother nodded before giving Edward a loving smile. Like most of the people here, she liked Edward and was willing to overlook any mistakes he made. Especially when it came to his work. With a swift goodnight Tony led his nephew back to the house. It started to snow again, reminding Edward he'd need another layer while he was out. When they got to the house Tony was quick to push his nephew in and lock the door behind him. He went to every room, closing all the shutters on the windows and turning out the lights. It was then he turned on his nephew.

"Ok where were you and who did you talk to?" He interrogated the teen with a very serious look.

Edward was caught off guard by this. Should he tell the truth? Yes, there was no getting out of this unless he came clean. "Well Rosie was playing hide and seek, but went far out of bounds. I followed her to the old fishing trawler to see that she'd befriended the local wolf-dog."

"You mean Balto?" Tony started to get less tense. "I feed him from time to time when he goes near the house."

"Am I the only one who didn't know who he was?" Edward rolled his eyes. It seemed everyone in town knew about this wolf-dog in one form or another. That wasn't necessarily a good thing but Tony seemed to like him. That made this easier. "So I ended up losing track of time and playing with him for Rosie. No big deal."

Tony eyed his Nephew for a moment before saying "What are you leaving out? You seem a bit troubled. What else happened Edward?"

Edward had to lie and quick. There was no way he was going to tell his uncle what happened. Not about Atticus and not about his questionable existence. "I was just wondering why everyone hates Balto. He seems like a nice enough wolf-dog." Hopefully this would suffice.

Tony looked him over once more to see if he could catch any sort of wavering. After about twenty seconds of silence he smiled and nodded. "Yes the townsfolk have always been worried about the poor beast. They think he'll make off with a child one day or bite someone. Utter nonsense. That dog wouldn't hurt a fly unless you gave him a reason."

Well that was obvious to Edward. After being with Balto for that brief time, he knew that the canine wouldn't harm anyone. In fact he was so kind that even Jenna seemed to warm up to him. That was very hard considering the red husky was openly afraid of wolves like everyone else. But then...there was what he saw when he was knocked out...that dog...Laura...

"Anyway I was told you have a delivery to make." Tony broke Edward's thoughts. "You best get a good rest now before-"

"Actually I'm ready to now." Edward said suddenly. "I'm not feeling very tired and I'd like to go under the cover of the night. Less people will ask me questions about what happened today, plus I can get a head start."

Tony cracked a big smile. "Just like your father." He chuckled. "Always eager to get to work before anyone else has even started. Ok Edward I already packed the bandages in your travel bag. You'll need to get out your gear and mail cap from the hall closet."

The teen nodded as he walked into hall where the extra closet sat. It was time to "suit up" so to speak. He pulled off all his clothes, save his undergarments then opened the closet. After pulling on a softer, but warmer grey shirt on he slipped on thicker black pants with suspenders. He put his button down shirt over that for an extra layer then put on better boots made for hiking. He tucked the pant legs in like last time. Lastly the black hooded coat went on along with a long thin brown fur coat that went to his ankles. It looked very much like a Duster Coat but it kept him warm nonetheless. He almost forgot to put his black gloves on which were at the bottom of the closet.

There was one thing Edward would need that he was always hesitant about grabbing. He went to his room and checked under the bed. Upon opening it he stared at two silver 1911 pistols. He'd learned how to shoot these years ago but never actually had to use them.

It was for protection in the wilderness against bears and such. One shot usually scared them all away. Nevertheless Edward put on his holsters, placed the guns in them, and his them under his coat. Now that he was ready to go, all he needed was his travel pack.

It was probably in the living room waiting for him. He left the his room to the the room in question to see his Uncle holding up the pack.

"Here ya go Little Eddie." He chuckled at his nephew. Edward rolled his eyes in slight annoyance. His uncle knew he hated that. He took his travel pack, which was a medium size, and pulled it on.

"Alright Uncle I should be back in about five or six days." Edward smiled at his only family. "I'll send a message to White Mountain when I- Oof!"

Tony wasn't going to let his only nephew go just like that. Edward felt his breathing slow almost to a stop as his uncle hugged him super tight. He couldn't breathe while his face was pressed into his uncle's chest. "MMMMMFFFFFFFFF!"

"What was that?" Tony teased with a big grin. "I can't hear you I think something's blocking your mouth."

Edward slowly pushed himself off enough to say "Your gut is suffocating me!" Then was squished back onto Tony's chest. The teen eventually gave up and let it happen.

"Ok ok I'll let you go now." Tony laughed, releasing his little nephew from his iron grip. "Just be careful alright son?"

Edward smiled when he heard the "s" word. "Of course I'll be careful Uncle. This me we're talking about right?" He half smiled and grinned pridefully.

"That's what I'm worried about Eddie." Tony shook his head with a small smile. "You really look just like your father." He said suddenly then patted his nephew's head causing Edward to smile bigger. He'd make his dad proud for sure. "Now get going you got things to deliver."

Edward put on his mail cap with a nod then turned to walk out the door. He felt his Uncle's approving eyes on him as he stepped out the front door and into the cold tundra that awaited him. "Into the woods I go." He said to himself.

"I wouldn't do that." A voice said to the left of him.

**A/N: You know what? I'm really excited for this book. It's almost been year since I joined this sight and I'm already doing sequels. I've had so much fun doing this. Hopefully I'll be doing this for years and years. Anyway I hope you liked this enough to review/follow me! Make sure to check out KodiWolf321! Atticus out! Peace!**


	6. Chapter 6: Into The Woods

Darkness Chapter 6: Into The Woods

'Oh come on what now?' Edward thought to himself as he turned around. He wasn't in the mood for anymore trouble that's for sure. A smaller figure stood in the shadows. Its yellow eyes glowed in the dark as It stepped out into the light. Edward was about to draw his gun in slight fear, but recognized the owner of the eyes.

"Balto you scared me!" He scolded the wolf-dog and took his hand of his holster. "What are you doing here?"

The wolf-dog shifted on his paws nervously for a bit before saying, "I wanted to make sure you got back safe and sound so I followed you home. But then I heard you were going back out and into the forest." Balto shivered and shook his head. "You can't go there Edward. I've been hearing strange things lately. All the former wolf packs have gone in the past year. We, me and Boris, thought maybe they'd just migrated early with the Caribou but their scent markings have been erased."

"Who erase them?" Edward got down to Balto's eye level. "Could it be other wolf packs trying to take over?"

Balto shook his head. "That's the strange part. After the markings were erased, no other pack came to fill the vacancy. In fact most of them are avoiding the area. It's like a quarantine zone."

Ok that was odd. Could it be that humans were settling in there? No that didn't make much sense. Especially with wolves always getting near Nome. Come to think of it, Edward was surprised him and Rosie hadn't seen one on the way to the fishing trawler. If someone was clearing out the wolf packs that was more bad than good. Like it or not the wolves balanced an ecosystem.

He wasn't much of an ecologist but he knew enough that he didn't want to see the rabbit population increase. They were vermin this town didn't need. That wasn't even counting all the other potential animals that would be allowed to flourish. No that couldn't happen. Could it?

"Well while that is a bit of a problem." Edward began. "I still need to deliver these medical bandages. I don't know who needs them but I'm sure they can't wait."

The teen patted the dog's head and rose to his feet. "Thanks for the warning." He turned slowly and started walking. Unsurprisingly the wolf-dog didn't give up that easily.

"Wait you can't just go in there!" Balto pleaded slightly. "Not all alone!"

Edward stopped for a moment. Balto was right for sure. If something was clearing out all the wolf packs he didn't stand much of a chance. Especially if he couldn't see whatever it was coming. "You have a point." He said finally. "So come with me."

Balto's eyes widened and he tilted his head. "Me? Why do you want me to come with?"

"I'll need someone with a really good nose that can sense when danger is nearby." Edward replied with a smile. "I'm going in with or without you. It'll be easier and safer if you came along. Besides...I'd like to have a friend to talk to on this four to five day trip."

The wolf-dog hesitated for a moment before nodding. "You've got a point..." Balto admitted. "But first we gotta stop at the trawler and say bye to Boris. Then we can deliver those bandages...to who exactly?"

Edward hadn't thought about that. He took out the mail form and looked it over. "It says to a Jim and Dolores...whoa!" Another memory flashed through his head of two people he recognized. One was a man and another was a woman "That's them."

"What's them?" Balto broke the thought. Edward looked at the wolf-dog before his eyes flashed again. A schnauzer mix stood in front of him with a big smile on his face.

"You ok Atticus?" The dog asked with a big grin.

"Yeah I'm doing ok Tramp." Edward responded.

"Ummm my name is Balto remember?" Everything snapped back to reality. Balto had a very confused look on his face. "You sure you're ok Edward?"

'It happened again...' Edward thought. 'Why did it happen again? Who's memories are these?'

He sighed and waved them off. "I'm just a little tired from today Balto. Let's go see Boris so we can go on our journey. Once I'm out in the fresh forest air I think I'll be fine."

Balto nodded and started to lead the way. Obviously he was curious about how strange Edward acted but didn't want to pry. They'd only known each other for barely a day so it wasn't very wise to be intrusive. On the way there lamps slowly started to go out but the wolf-dog could still see. He had night vision eyes thanks to his wolf disposition.

Edward had to wait until his eyes adjusted but it was still hard to see. After a little while of walking a door swung open suddenly and light hit his eyes. He closed his yes very quickly and heard his name called. "Edward is that you? Why are you out in the cold still?"

When his eyes adjusted the teen saw Rosie's mom and Balto nowhere to be seen. He must've hid from the light. "I was just heading out on my delivery." Edward replied. "Wanted to get an early start."

Susan gave him a warm look before grabbing something and stepping put to him. Without a word of warning she wrapped a red scarf around his neck. It was very warm and cozy, which Edward appreciated. "Stay warm and safe ok?" She smiled and he nodded in thanks. "Rosie needs her role model and she's picked you as one. That makes you family alright?"

"Yes mam and thank you." He nodded again as Susan went in the house and closed the door. Soon after he heard a familiar shuffling and something brush his leg. "You sure are quick to hide." Edward looked down at Balto's glowing eyes.

"If you remember I'm not the most popular creature here." Balto grumbled to himself. "Nice scarf."

Edward adjusted it. "Thank you it feels warm." He caught Balto staring at house. "You ok?"

"Uh...yeah..." Balto replied distractedly. "Say is that where Rosie and..."

Edward chuckled to himself. "Yes that's where Jenna lives lover boy." He responded making the wolf-dog flinch slightly. "I only find her slightly attractive!" He hissed under his breathe. "The way her red fur glistens in the sun and that voice of honey."

He stopped himself when he realized he was carrying on. Edward patted his head and the duo kept walking. It seemed it was going to be a quiet night since there was hardly anymore wind. It didn't take much longer to get to the trawler this time since the weather was clear and the snow was less thick. When they got to the wrecked boat Edward stomped the snow off his boots before going up the ramp.

It made odd creaks as he walked up to the top. Before he could say anything he was snatched up by something, big white, and furry. "Mmmmmmmmmm!" His mouth was muffled as reached a hand for his gun but it got held back. His breathing got heavy. Whatever he was being squeezed by, he was at its mercy.

"Luk come on he's not breathing!" A high pitched voice scolded and Edward was suddenly dropped. When he looked up he was touching noses with a big polar bear.

"Holy shit!" He scooted back in fear. "Balto that's a polar bear!"

"Of course he's a polar bear Lassie!" The high voice said again, making Edward turn his head to the left. Next to the giant polar bear was a smaller one. "And his name is Luck!"

"Mmmmhhmmm..." The giant bear named Luk nodded and pointed to the smaller one. "Muk..."

"So like...Muk and Luk?" Edward watched the two bears cautiously as they nodded. He stood up and brushed off his pants. "So let's see...two polar bears...a wolf...and a goose?"

"Yeah that's right." Balto chuckled a bit to himself. "And they're very friendly. Luk doesn't say much but he loves hugging new faces. That just so happened to be you Edward."

Edward let out a huge sigh. "At least they're harmless." He said finally.

"Harmless?" A familiar Russian voice said from behind. "Those little ruffians ruffle my feathers every single day."

"Awww but you love us right uncle Boris?" Muk asked, causing Edward to chuckle to himself. Uncle Boris eh? That was just so bad.

"When all my feathers are in their proper place." Boris scoffed but no sooner had he said that did he get pulled into a hug by Luk. Feathers went everywhere, causing Edward to laugh. When the goose reemerged he squawked. "Grrrr I hate bears!"

Muk and Luk did a group hug in response and Edward yawned. Balto noticed this and remarked. "You should probably get some sleep kid." The teen shook his head but his eyes had other plans. They shut so fast he had no time to even say goodnight.

"Atticus..." Zane looked towards his best friend. "Are you sure you don't have a heart?"

The black winged Angel was taken aback at this question. "Sometimes I don't know...but if I do have one...I'm pretty sure it's hard as stone."

The image melted away leaving just Zane chuckling to himself. "It turned out...that his heart was the strongest of all of us. It even houses mine...deep inside."

After a moment of silence he spoke again. "What about you Edward? Do you have a heart? Or are you an empty shell filled with the memories of someone real?"

The brown haired teen with grey eyes took a step towards Edward. "Make sure the box's contents fit the label. Lest you be a thief."

Edward eyes snapped open as light hit his eyes. He looked around to see he was still on the trawler. The morning light of the sun was slowly shining into view. A blanket covered his legs and a wolf-dog curled next to him. The teen out the blanket on Balto and watched the sunrise. 'What are these dreams about?' He searched his mind. 'Who is Zane?'

He didn't know what to think. Was everything he knew a lie? Was that what his dreams were trying to tell him? That he was puppet? A fake?

"You're a deep sleeper you know that?" The wolf-dog stirred beside him. "You passed out very quick. I thought maybe you were sick or something. Boris didn't find anything wrong except exhaustion. You shouldn't be this hard on your body."

"I know..." Edward responded, still deep in thought. "I just needed to get out of Nome you know?"

"I spend my time trying to fit in there so no." Balto sighed.

"Why try to fit in there?" Edward petted the wolf-dog gently. "They're mostly just stuck up snobs who hate anything out of the ordinary."

"You're uncle isn't, you aren't, Rosie isn't." Balto replied simply. "You're some good people. I'm sure there's more like you. Positive even."

Edward didn't respond to this. It's not that anyone was horrible there. They were just raised to believe in one singular truth: The outside world is dangerous and anything new should be stamped out. It's just how they've always been. He was sure that one look at Balto instantly made him the object of their fears. He was the first half wolf in Nome which meant one of two things. The dogs were getting out and mating or...wolves were getting in somehow. Either prospect didn't sound amazing to the townsfolk.

There was no way wolves were getting in. That just wasn't possible but...Balto got in. "Say Balto..." Edward changed the subject. "How exactly were you born?"

At those words the wolf-dog sighed. "Well..I don't really like to talk about it." He responded. "There aren't very happy memories surrounding that event let's just leave it that alright?"

The teen nodded and stood up. His legs felt very stiff but that's what happened when you slept on a wooden deck for several hours. "Finally awake sleeping beauty?" Boris's squeaking sounded from his left. "I've never seen anyone get that dead to the world since old country. You been swigging the ale?"

"Have I been swigging the wha?" Edward was so confused. What was ale? Hell, what was swigging?

"Don't mind Boris Edward." Balto chuckled. "I can hardly understand him on a good day."

Boris rolled his eyes. "So you're going on your trip yes?" Edward nodded his head. "My son's told me you'll need that nose of his. Well usually I don't like letting Balto go in the forest but seeing as this is urgent business he must go with you. We can't have our new friend getting harmed can we?"

Friend? That word for some reason was an odd term for Edward. Sure he had one or two but those friends wouldn't put themselves in danger like this. Hell the reason the town sent one person to deliver stuff is because they didn't want to risk sled dogs getting harmed. They could haul supplies faster but the minor stuff was always left to one man, usually a teen. If the teen in question didn't make it then it was no skin off their nose. But that's not what he felt with Boris and Balto. They seemed to want to help as best they could. Before he could say thanks he was yanked up but a white ball of fluff again.

"Luk!" Edward laughed a bit. "Put me down!"

"We'll go too Lassie!" Muk pronounced. "We can use our polar bear skills to scare off predators!"

"Says the bears that can't swim..." Boris said under his breathe.

Luk dropped Edward and started to whimper a bit. Polar bears that can't swim? This entire family was very different. A packless/ownerless wolf-dog, two non-swimming polar bears, and a step father goose? Yeah very different. "You sure you want to come along?" Edward asked the two bears. "There could be dangerous things in forest."

The polar bears didn't even look intimidated. "We're the predators of the forest Lassie!" Muk puffed his chest and high fived Luk. Edward laughed to himself. "Alright then guys, sounds like a plan. You coming too Boris?"

The goose shook his head. "Someone's gotta hold fort while the 'predators of the forest' are gone. But you young tikes have blessing to go."

Balto smiled and nuzzled his step father happily. Muk and Luk have Boris another bear hug while Edward nodded to him. "We'll be back in about five days." The teen reassured before waving goodbye and walking down the ramp. He felt Balto and the bears following close behind. White mountain was East of Nome and past the mountain trail. That kind of hike wasn't too difficult. He'd taken the trip plenty of times.

As they walked along the snow the forest came into view. It was very spacious at near the beginning but it would grow dense the farther you traversed into it. "Have you been in the forest before Balto?" Edward turned his head to the right, where Balto was walking next to him. The wolf-dog nodded. "Yes I've been in here a few times to look for food." He replied. "Not to much luck usually since it's normally wolf territory. What about you?"

"I'm a Delivery worker Balto." Edward responded and stretched his arms in a yawn. "I go in the forest on a regular basis. There's normally no trouble but I had to shoot a rabid fox once."

"You shoot guns?" Balto asked nervously.

"Only when I have to." Edward nodded, noticing The wolf-dogs tension. "Plus I've only had to do it three or four times. Every time I have though it's hit dead on. Uncle Tony says I have a gift. I don't think so. A gift shouldn't involve being able to take a life."

"But a gift does save lives sometimes." Balto smiled. "I'm sure it's saved yours."

Edward smiled right back. There was something about this dog that was very similar to someone he knew. He couldn't put his finger on it but it was something deep. Like an old friend he'd forgotten. That was the thing though...a lot of his friends weren't that important to him.

"Oh we're here..." Balto broke Edward's deep thoughts. The teen looked in front of him to see the familiar looking trees. It'd been two months since he'd seen Aniu Forest. Now that he was there old butterflies filled his stomach. Not out of fear but excitement.

"Ok guys from here on out it's just put one foot after the other. There's nothing to worry about right?" Edward smiled at his new companions and they nodded. "Ok then...let's go."

One foot after the other the four friends disappeared Into the forest.

A teenaged girl sat at the edge of a cliff overlooking Aniu forest. She looked upon it with her Blazing Turquoise eyes. This was a wonderful place for her "pack" especially now that all of it belonged to her. She chuckled to herself and brushed her black hair out of her face. The only issue was that she would lose her tan over the harsh winter.

"Oh well at least the food here is good~" she grinned to herself when she thought of the vole she had earlier.

"Lady Shira!" A low pitched voice sounded behind her. "The Emerald Eyed one is here in the forest."

The girl called Shira laughed. "I knew he'd come...fetch him for me. You have my permission to be rough if he resists."

"Yes mam!" The voice sounded again and the shuffling of footsteps was made as its owner left. "Alpha Squad move out!"

Shira stood up and spread her arms out. "And so the day has finally dawned. The Angel of legend has walked right into our hands." She smirked dived off the cliff face and into the trees.

"What's the worst that can happen?"

**A/N: Trouble always comes to the men who look for it. Sometimes however, it finds those that are destined for it. Thank you for reading everyone! If you loved it then review and follow it. I really liked making this chapter since it's the calm before the storm! Atticus out!**


	7. Chapter 7: Rage Awakened

Darkness Chapter 7: Rage Awakened

"Are we there yet?" Muk complained. "My bloody feet are getting tired."

"Hmmmmmmhmmm..." Luk agreed in his made up language. It was funny that even Edward couldn't understand it.

Edward chuckled and shook his head. "Muk it's only been a few hours we aren't even close to being there yet."

The two polar bears complained and moaned audibly. Balto shot Edward a sympathetic look in apology for their behavior. The teen merely grinned and patted the wolf-dog's head. He didn't mind having two complaining polar bears and a half wolf with him. It was nice to have someone with you on trips like these.

Most of the time the hike to White Mountain was very lonesome. Sure it was nice to get out but it was even nicer to have friends to be with. Even though Edward had Thomas to hang out with it was only in the town. Outside it was just him and the snow.

"Anyway it should take us about two and a half days to get us to White Mountain." Edward broke the silence after a long period. "We can restock there and head home. Hopefully we can make good time today."

Balto nodded his head. "It'll be an easy hike for us. The snow storm has stopped and most of the travel is within the forest if I remember correctly. It would be best to grizzly territory though. I can sniff that out."

"That'll be useful. One time I wandered into one's hunting grounds.." Edward admitted and scratched the back of his head. "It didn't end well at all for the bear."

"What happened to it?" Balto tilted his head curiously. "Did you kill it?"

Edward shrugged his shoulders in response. "I don't really know what happened to it. It was about a year ago when I was misinformed as to where the grizzly territory was. Most of the townspeople weren't told that it expanded. I walked right into it without a second thought in the world."

"I'm guessing it didn't take long for it to catch your scent huh?" Balto inquired. Grizzly bears had very good noses.

"Yup and it ambushed me from behind." Edward recalled it very well. He'd been slammed into the ground. There was nothing he could do but watch. "It was about to claw the life out of me when I blacked out."

"You fainted?" The wolf dog couldn't believe it when the teen nodded. "How did you survive?"

"That's where it's hazy..." Edward responded. "When I woke up I was covered in blood and the grizzly was...everywhere..."

Balto gasped in shock. 'What could have happened?' He thought. 'How do you just...'

The group walked in silence for awhile after that. All except for Muk and Luk's horsing around. From snow ball fights to belly sliding like penguins, those two didn't have a care in the world. It was good for Edward though. Watching them kind of reminded him of how Rosie was. Always playing games and never seeing the bad. It felt like deep inside that's all he was seeing.

A day or two ago he was sure of who he was and what he was. Now? He didn't know if he was going insane or he really was living in someone's shadow. What he didn't understand was how his life was causing someone else not to have one? Was that even possible? If so then what's was it about him in particular? Why him of all people. He didn't even know an Atticus.

Edward was so deep in thought he tripped over a log. "Whoa! Oof!"

He got a face full of snow which was so cold that he lost feeling in his cheeks. When he sat up on his rear Muk and Luk were laughing. He chuckled too, as it must've looked very funny. After shaking his face of all the snow he looked at what he tripped over and gasped. Balto was already inspecting it but he couldn't believe his eyes. A tree as big as day was knocked down. That wouldn't be a problem considering blizzards did that sometimes. The real issue was the manner in which it was knocked down.

As Edward stood his eyes traveled to the huge claw marks in the tree. "These are bigger than any marks I've seen." Edward shook his head. "Whatever did this was bigger. Much bigger..."

He placed his hand on the claw marks. It was a clean cut for sure. There were hardly any loose splinters which was odd considering how deep and rigid the claw marks were. This tree went down in one swipe. What was even stranger was that the marks were a clear indication that a wolf marked this. "But...wolves don't get that big..." Edward muttered to himself. "At least I'm pretty sure they don't..."

"Edward I don't smell a scent marking..." Balto reported aloud. "There's a faint and unfamiliar scent but it isn't territorial."

The teen thought on this. Why would, and he wasn't ruling this in, a big wolf mark a tree but leave no scent mark. That made no sense. It went against everything a wolf was known for doing. The instinctual behaviors. The markings. It was all off key. Why chase off all the wolf packs if you leave no indication this is your territory? Hell was this even a wolf? If so then it was huge. Bigger than any other animal in this forest. Edward had seen enough. "We better get out of here." He announced to the wolf-dog and two bears. "Whatever did this can't be too far behind and I sure as hell don't wanna find out what it is."

"I'll have to agree with you on that." Even Balto sounded a bit nervous. "C'mon let's go into denser trees. Whatever this is has to be huge. It won't fit in the dense growth toward the inner workings of the forest."

"Yeah what Balto said!" Muk tried to mime.

"HmmmmmmmMmmmmmm." Luk made his usual gibberish.

"The forest may be denser but the trees are much thinner. If something like this can claw through a giant tree then it won't have a problem crashing trough thinner ones." Edward advised as he thought of a giant creature plowing through the forest. That wasn't very pleasant at all but... "It's the only plan we had though so lead the way Balto."

The wolf-dog nodded and turned toward the thicker parts of the forest. Edward and company did a slow trek inside the denser forest. As the teen had guessed, the forest was getting much thicker but the trees themselves got smaller. He thought he could hear something behind them but dismissed it. There was no need for paranoia. Especially when a creature that size couldn't sneak that quietly. No it would be charging at any moment.

But still...his stomach was full of butterflies and a voice told him everything was wrong. He shook his head then looked down at the snow. The sun must've been low since he casted a big shadow. "Wait..." He stopped in his tracks. It was almost noon...his shadow should be..

"Edward look out!" Balto turned around and yelled out. Without even looking the teen dived into the sob and felt something over his head miss. The shadow he was looking at wasn't his. It was something bigger. Something that followed him close behind without his knowledge. And it almost popped his head off. He rolled to the right as a white paw slammed where his head was.

"Guys run!" Edward rolled on his stomach and bolted upward into a run. Balto and the bears nodded then turned tail as ordered. He was a good distance from them but the creature behind him was on his toes. The trees provided good temporary obstacles. They didn't last very long as the teen could hear tree upon tree being knocked down effortlessly. Not only was this beast good at stealth, it was great at the chase. It's hot breathe went down his neck, at how close behind it was.

He looked ahead of him to see the others had broken through into a clearing. "No guys get back into the- Gaaa!" Edward was head butted in the back and broke through into the clearing. His belly skidded on the ground and the wind left him. He coughed for air then slowly got up. "Is everyone al-" his head was pinned into the snow roughly by what felt like a paw. He tried to focus but his eyes were seeing double. "Guys...run..."

He lifted his up slowly as best he could. What he saw was Two Baltos and two sets of Muk and Luks in the same position. Pinned by a something, he still couldn't see that good, and trying to think of a way out of this. Edward struggled under whatever held him down and heard a growl right over his head. What the hell had him incapacitated? He waited and let his vision clear. After a few deep breathes he opened his eyes and gasped. "Guys stay calm I don't know what-"

"Silence cretin!" A gruff voice grunted above his head. "We don't have time for you to console your pathetic Ilk. Just shut up and wait until our commander gets here."

"Is that really any way to be talking to our VIP Echo?" An even deeper voice sounded from behind. Edward felt the grip on his head slacken as a fearful vibe swept over everyone. "Did I not say to find them? Did I not tell you to wait?"

"I...Commander-" the gruff voice stammered.

"Enough! Release them at once so we can have a civil conversation." The man voice of the commander demanded. At those orders, Edward felt the grip on his head lift away. He stood up slowly and looked to his "rescuer" of sorts.

The man before him was huge. Easily a 7 footer without shoes on. He had a rough face with piercing dark silver eyes. His hair was cut very military style which matched the tank top and baggy pants he wore. Whoever this guy was must've been tough to wear such light clothing in this cold weather. It kind of reminded Edward of Thomas... "Who are you?" He asked the man called "Commander". "And what do you want with me exactly? What are these things?" He gestured to the gigantic creatures that had held them captive.

The Commander laughed and grinned to himself. "One question at a time kid." He took a step closer as Edward took a step back to regroup with Balto, Muk, and Luk. They watched each other's backs while Edward waited for his answer. "My name is Dean Smirnoff. I've been looking for you for awhile but you've been in that wretched village of Nome so your scent was masked. Now that you're here I want to speak with you. As for what we are...I would've thought it was obvious."

"Well to me what I'm seeing is a bunch of giant wolves." Edward responded. The wolves surrounding them varied in colors but the one that pinned him was white. It had bright yellow eye with shiny black nose. Easily the size of a grizzly bear, this wolf was definitely the one that cut down the tree. "Very perceptive kid. To be exact though. We are werewolves."

Edward froze on the spot. "Y-you're lying. There's no such thing. A-Are you suggesting you all c-can change from human to wolves at will?" He stammered. This was all starting to get unreal. Talking to animals... werewolves...whether or not he's supposed to exist.

Dean growled and got on all fours. With a snarl, he ripped out of his clothes then started to grow. Edward stepped back again as black fur sprouted from Dean. Soon he was engulfed in it while a snout grew from his face. Hands turned Into paws while his back readjusted itself. He howled when the transformation was complete and a tail sprouted from his back end.

"Do you believe us now?" Dean chuckled.

"Guys...you need to get out of here.." Edward's heart was racing.

Two werewolves snarled and started to close in to block them. Dean smiled. "You're not going anywhere. We need you. Not necessarily your friends but we need you."

"Why do you need me?" Edward gulped. He didn't like the idea of werewolves looking for him. Not after the Native Alaskan stories he'd heard over the years. Wolves that transformed didn't usually mean good things. Especially if you pissed them off.

"You have certain...qualities..." Dean smiled. "Qualities that our alpha has taken interest in. Now if you'll just come with us quietly we can sort this out."

Could Edward trust him? What qualities were these? Why was the world ceasing to make any sort of sense? He didn't have an answer to most of those questions but he knew one thing, he wasn't going with them. "I don't know who you are. I honestly don't even care. But I'm taking me and my friends out of here."

All the wolves laughed at this proclamation. Now that Edward thought about it, it was kind of silly. They had the upper hand. "You're not going anywhere except with us." Dean chuckled as the giant wolves inched closer. "Now we're going to take you by force."

At those words Edward pulled out his 1911's. "I have enough bullets for each of you." He warned. It was a bluff and a very shitty one at that but he was playing this by ear. The Commander(Dean) chuckled yet again and moved forward. Edward pulled the trigger on both guns. The bullets flew at their targets in a split second's time. However in that same second Dean and the white wolf sidestepped the bullets in an instant. The two bullets hit several trees before stopping. Edward's eyes widened in shock. This wasn't going to end well...

The five beasts jumped at once. Time slowed for Edward at that moment. His head turned to his friends, which he needed to save, then back to the wolves who were still in mid air. He gathered up Muk and Balto then put them on Luk's back. After a few more milliseconds he pushed them down a hill like a sled then dived after them. Time went back to normal and all the wolfs slammed into each other at once.

"Whoa what just happened?!" Balto yelled out in confusion as Muk and Luk screamed downhill. "One minute we were toast then...This!"

"I have no idea!" Edward called out as he slid next to them by his feet. "I just sorta..sped up!"

He didn't understand any of this. Especially his ability to keep upright while going down snow. But somehow he knew how to angle himself and which ways to lean. Almost like he was...flying. He didn't have time to ponder this however. Howling was heard from behind the group so they turned their heads. To no surprise five wolves were running super fast downhill. "Oh come on!" Edward got behind Luk to push him downhill faster.

The wolves were gaining so Edward did the only sensible thing in his mind. He vault off Luk towards one of the wolves with a 1911 in hand. The barrel met its muzzle and he fired point blank. The wolf's muzzle exploded on the impact of the bullet as blood sprayed everywhere. "Oh god!" Edward couldn't believe what he just had to do. The grey wolf he shot went limp then slid downhill completely lifeless. "O-one down." He panted as two growled and jumped at him in retaliation. Time slowed for him again as they flew forward, ready to tear him apart.

He took out the other hand gun and aimed for their legs. 'I don't have to kill them!' Edward thought to himself as he fired. The bullets pierced their legs, inciting them to lose balance and tumble over each other. Unfortunately they rolled towards the center of gravity at the moment, which was towards Edward himself. "Holy shi-"

He felt like he got hit by a sled full of cargo. The three rolled in the snow, kicking and scratching each other on the way down. When they hit the bottom of the hill They were in a heap. Edward shot up in an instant then pistol whipped one and shot the other in the eyes as it lunged at him. "Dammit!" He shivered when blood hit the snow. There was no getting used to it but they gave him no choice. He was about to look for the others when he was pinned yet again into the snow by his back, but this time with a black paw. His handguns flew in front of him, out of reach.

"You've really got some fire!" Dean chuckled. "I love it! However, don't think it'll go unpunished. An eye for an eye!"

Edward looked forward to see Muk and Luk being held down by Echo the white wolf while Balto lay unconscious to the left. "You killed two of my friends, now I'll kill two of yours." The teens eyes widened as he said this. What had he done? His friends were going to be killed...because he killed.

"On three!" Dean cackled. "ONE!"

Edward started to breath heavily.

"TWO!"

Edward's eyes shut tight. "Don't do this!" He cried out.

In his mind he was in panic mode. Voices rang in his head at a huge rate. One in particular rang loudest. "ZANE!"

"THRE-" *BOOOOOM!*

A black cloud exploded around them, blasting everyone away, even Dean. Edward stood up slowly with darkness surrounding him. His hair was white and his eyes glowed violet. The red scarf around him billowed like wings. His breathing was heavy and savage as he walked over to his 1911 pistols. Upon picking them up they glowed and changed. The barrels grew rounded like a cannon while the handle thickened and the clip vanished. Short keychains appeared on each handle with wings on the end. They were now Derringers.

Dean slowly got up and laughed. "Ohhhh my we found the Angel after all."

Edward laughed to himself and faced them. "Oh? Is that what you fooled yourself into thinking? I'm not an Angel...angels bring life..."

"Then you are?" Dean stalked closer to him.

"I'm your death bringer." Edward responded with a crooked grin. "A Demon."

**A/N: I'm in Alaska. Surprise! However as I'm writing this I currently have little to no internet. So I'm unable to post it unfortunately until I get back. I'm very sorry to all of you about that. I'm having a great time though so that's a very nice turnout. It's very beautiful here plus I hope to go on a hike very soon. Anyway rate, review, send me a message. I'll answer to the best of my ability. Atticus out!**


	8. Chapter 8: Who's there inside of me?

Darkness Chapter 8: Who's there inside of me?

Edward walked towards Dean with a big half smile on his face. "Are you ready for the eternal void?" He laughed softly to himself as he clutched his derringers tighter. Muk, Luk, and Balto were out like lights. The sheer force of the darkness wave was too overwhelming.

Dean smiled at this. Everything was going according to plan. Well almost everything; he didn't account for this boy managing to take out most of the squad. It was all in good fun though. 'I can take this little punk.' He thought to himself as Echo started to cower slightly in fear. Clearly he hadn't seem the full wrath of a demon like Dean had.

The commander lunged at Edward, ready to sink his canines into him. The teen instantly shot with both derringers at a rapid pace. Dean's eyes widened when he realized the guns didn't shoot bullets. They shot out black and white flames at a rapid pace that far exceeded how much a real derringer could fire. The black wolf turned midair to dodge but was still grazed on the side by the searing hot projectiles.

"Gaaaaahhhh!" He howled out and fell to the ground as the flames burned him on impact. After landing in the snow Dean put out the flames quickly and saw a small pink patch where the fur burned off. It was steaming and turning redder with each passing second. He started to breath heavily as if he'd ran a thousand miles.

Even though the flames only grazed him they seemed to have taken a lot of his energy and fight out of him. So much so he was hardly standing. Sweat slowly coursed down his fur as he panted heavily.

Seeing his leader in pain enraged Echo out of his fear. The white wolf ran towards Edward with pure hatred in his eyes. "You insolent little piece of crap!" He snarled, charging at full speed.

Edward smiled as his next victim came forward. He took his time as he raised his derringers. Too much time in fact. Echo was already on him before he could fire. The white wolf tackled him to the ground and quickly bit down on his right arm. The teen grunted as teeth ripped through his coat and into the skin. It didn't take much for the bones to crack like sticks. The derringer slipping out if his hand and vanished without a trace.

"You pack a nasty sting you know that?" Edward gritted his teeth and pointed the barrel of his other derringer into the wolf's side. He fired, causing black and white flames to forcibly shoot into Echo. They tore through his skin, going deep into his insides. The white wolf cried out in searing pain. This shriek rang through Balto's ears. The grey wolf-dog slowly opened his eyes. They widened in horror when he saw Edward get up and clutch his mangled right arm while Echo burned from the inside.

"That's all you got?" The Demonically influenced Edward chuckled at the screaming. It was music to his ears. The sight of the blood leaking out of the pathetic creature was rejuvenating as well. So much so he had to hold back his pleasured laughter. "Well then there's no reason to toy with you."

He flexed his blooded up fingers. Before Balto's very eyes the mangled arm stopped bleeding. In a series of cracks and pops it slowly knitted itself back together. After a few short seconds it was as good as new save for the torn coat arm. "Much better..." He smiled to himself as the pain even went away. "Now then."

Edward stalked right over to the white wolf, who was now steadily bleeding from the flame shot, but somehow still panting and groaning. The flames had long gone out but the burns were deep inside him. It wouldn't be long before he bled out but Edward didn't want to wait. He let go of the other derringer and it vanished like its twin had. The demon rapped his arm around the weakened Echo's neck as much as he could. With small laugh he started to squeeze with all his might.

Balto looked on in horror as the white wolf struggled for Breath. Air escaped its lungs as Edward squeezed even tighter. "E-Edward! What're you doing?!" The wolf dog yelled out as he slowly stood up.

"I'm teaching this fucker a lesson!" He responded. "You watching Blacky? It's your turn after him." Edward looked over his shoulder at Dean who was still unable to move. Echo started to slow down as the last of his air left him. The teen smiled and shifted his arm into a headlock position for the final squeeze. Balto dashed towards the two in attempt to stop him.

"See you in hell." Edward flexed both his arms. A snapping sound was heard as Echo's neck was bent in an odd direction.

"Noooo!" Balto howled and stopped dead in his tracks at what he just witnessed. The distressed howl rang through Edward's ears. Images began to flash through his head.

*flashback*

Atticus stopped in his tracks. Tramp was being held by the neck with a defeated look on his face. Shimada had an evil smile as he held up the dog and backed away slowly.

"That got your attention." Shimada chuckled. "This will be fun."

Atticus's heart pumped rapidly as Tramp gave him a sad look. Clearly the way he was held prevented him from talking.

"S-Shimada..." Atticus stuttered in a pleading tone.

"I found an alternative to taking your dreams." The evil Angel smirked. "I'm going to destroy what you love most. The resulting heartbreak will allow me to take what's mine. Any last words mutt?" He grinned at Tramp.

Atticus dashed forward as fast as he could. Time seemed to slow down. Tramp was so close to him. Only two meters away.

'Come on!' He thought. 'Hurry!'

He reached his hand out lightning fast. Only one second...

-snap-

"Nooooooooooooooo!"

*end flashback*

Edward fell to his knees and held his head. Slowly his white hair and red eyes changed back to Raven Blue and Emerald Green. Tears went down his face at the memory he just witnessed. "W-what did I just do?" His eyes fell upon the silenced white wolf. "Oh god..." He felt sick.

The feeling in Dean's body returned. He stood up and changed back to a human, unfortunately without his garments. Edward hardly noticed as his head pounded with memories of Tramp. 'Who is this dog?! Why is he so important?!' His thoughts screamed out. "GAAAA!" The pain was getting even worse. His head felt like it was going to split open from the pressure. The teen collapsed in the snow unconscious from the overload.

"Ahhhh I see..." Dean seemed to realize something then walked over to Edward. He picked him up and hoisted him over his shoulder. "Well it seems luck was in my- Aggh! You little!"

Balto sank his teeth into Dean's exposed leg and didn't let go. He didn't know what good it would do but he had to help Edward. It was in vain, however, in one swift movement Dean swung his leg hard. The wolf-dog couldn't hold on and was flung off into the air. He landed on the snow and rolled a bit before crashing into a tree head first.

"Sorry mutt." The commander chuckled. "We need this kid more than you."

Balto tried to stand up slowly but could only see stars. "W-wait..." He tried to clear his head as Dean walked away. "Come...back..." He fell over again. "E...Edward..." He panted as his eyes fluttered shut.

"Balto?" A voice echoed to him in the void. "Balto lassie get up!"

The wolf-dog opened his eyes for a moment before they fluttered shut again. "Hmmmmmmmm!" Another voice with familiar gibberish called out. Balto opened his eyes again slowly. His vision was blurred but was steadily focusing.

"...what...what happened?" He groaned when he stood up, feeling a soreness on his head and back. When his vision cleared, Balto saw Muk and Luk looking incredibly worried. Luk seemed fit to burst into tears. Balto looked around, but saw no sign of anyone else except the dead white wolf, a few footprints, and with red blood stains in the snow. "No...they took him didn't they?" The wolf-dog's head snapped back to the two polar bears. Their faces told him all that he needed to know.

He steadied himself and went over to the blood stained snow. It smelled a lot like Edward, but had a bit of a foreign scent to it that probably belonged to Echo. Balto took a small whiff. "Ok...maybe I can sniff him out..."

"Yeah lassie try sniffin him out!" Muk nodded eagerly while Luk clapped in approval. Nothing really phased these guys did it? Balto hadn't done this before except for the occasional rabbit or vole he had to hunt. A human was going to be a lot different but maybe not so difficult. He took another whiff slowly with his eyes shut. As if on instinct his nose pointed him in the direction he needed to go.

"Got it..." Balto whispered to himself. "Come in guys let's go find our friend."

'And hope he's not still crazy...what was he doing anyway? Was his desperation too much? Made him do things that he wouldn't normally do? What about his arm? It healed so fast I didn't have time to blink. Just what is going on here?' All these thoughts plagued the wolf-dog's mind. 'There's no time for this. I'll find him then ask all the questions...I hope...' The trio went deeper into the forest, not sure how in the world they'd get back.

A familiar darkness shrouded him. For some reason it was... welcoming...almost like a friend. It enveloped him slowly in its embrace without any resistance. Edward could just let himself go right now.

"Atticus..." A soft voice called out. "Please get up. You still have a promise to keep."

"Yeah...I do.." Edward responded with his eyes still closed. "To come back for you right?" He had to save Zane at all costs...wait...why?

"That's right." Zane was audibly happy again. "You can't do that while your asleep though."

"Y-you're right..." Edward opened his eyes slowly to find he was looking up at a ceiling. "A promise is a promise...but what was that again?" He was confused.

"Oh you're awake." A gruff voice broke his thoughts. "You put up one hell of a fight but you're here now." Edward sat up and turned his head to the right to see Dean smiling at him. The teen looked around the room to see he was in a cell.

"What am I doing here?" A pain shot back into his head when he thought back to snapping that white wolf's neck. He felt sick to his stomach but had to focus. "Let me out."

"Hahahaha..." The commander laughed to himself. "Now why would I do that? We still need you."

"For what?! At least tell me that!" Edward growled...wait what? He placed a hand on his throat gently.

"Oh my, my, my it's already working." A higher pitched voice sounded from right behind Dean. Just as Edward was going to ask who was there a girl of normal stature and height walked into view. Her shining turquoise eyes held a sort of calm ferocity which was hidden well behind her long black hair. "Soon you'll be just like us."

"Just like...you?" Edward didn't understand. "Who the hell are you even?!"

The teen aged girl laughed as audibly as Dean had. "I am Lady Shira of the Angel Feather Pack."

'Angel..Angel..Angel...' The words rang in Edward's brain as if it was a key to a lock. Just what had he gotten into?

**A/N: Don't kill me! I know it's been awhile guys and I apologize. Recently I've started college so my online time has been cut in half. If you've read this far I'd personally love to thank you for staying this dedicated to my work. My updates will be scarce but I'll try to get content out at least once a month in big long chapters. I love you all. Atticus out! **


	9. Reboot and farewell

**Reboot and Farewell**

**Ok guys...this has been a long time coming. This story, as of now, is being canceled. As much as it pains me to say it I'm going to have to. This isn't because I've lost interest or given up on writing. It's just that I'm going to be starting it over without the Disney or Universal pictures elements. **

**Going forward The Fallen Angel will become its own original work. I'm hoping to start a series that not only Balto fans will love but people around the world will admire. I've got a plot set and ready to go on this brand new adventure I've just got to write it out and publish it into its own book with an unannounced price. I've got no idea how long it'll take but I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure it's a good series and one to remember.**

**My wattpad is staying open so I can advertise my new book and finish my furry novel. **

**Thank you all who've supported me on this grand journey and I promise this will not be the last you see of me. Possible collaborations with other people on will still happen. I haven't written with KodiWolf321 in awhile but if I'm asked to write with him I will. **

**Goodbye for now. Angels never die. Atticus signing out. Thank you.**


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